Christmas 2016 Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

It snowed again last night and our neighborhood is filled with sounds of children's laughter and dads scraping sidewalks. A decent snowfall is something to celebrate on the West coast of B.C. Every year we realize how much our children have grown when they try and wriggle into their ill fitting snow pants. As I sit here and contemplate this past year, I find myself filled to the brim with gratitude. While this past year has not been without its challenges, it has been a season of growth for our family. Life is certainly much busier than it has ever been, but we are content. We are hosting two connect groups this year and loving it! Not only does it force me to clean my house once a week, but it has been a source of encouragement and spiritual growth for us as a couple.  I love that our home has become a gathering place for so many individuals.

  Nathaniel continues to lead children's worship at the church, keep bees, and hunt when time permits. He has been serving on the bike unit for nearly a year now and has thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace. He has developed some good friendships and has enjoyed being more involved in the community. Adjusting to his new work hours, however, has taken some time.

This year I am learning how to plan ahead and be a bit more organized. I joined the board at our local Crises Pregnancy Center this year and I have enjoyed being involved with an organization that changes lives. I have started working as a birth doula again and I am enjoying it immensely. I recently applied to volunteer with Victim services with the RCMP. If I am accepted I will need to undergo a rigorous background check before completing 60+ hours of training. My new favorite hobby is weightlifting. Who know that back squats and bicep curls could be so fun?

Amelia is in Grade 2 this year. She continues to amaze us with her creativity and zest for life. She recently had some of her artwork displayed at a teachers art conference in Victoria. She recently joined brownies and is becoming a strong swimmer. Claire is in kindergarten and is adjusting well to a full day of school. She joined gymnastics this year and beams from ear to ear during each class. She loves biking to school each morning with her big sister and cuddling with the kitten we acquired from the SPCA this spring. Levi turned two this August and is an adorable wrecking ball that fills our hearts with dismay and boundless joy. This week alone he managed to dump a bottle of nail polish on the carpet, color on three different walls, empty my expensive Himalayan pink salt into his dump truck, dump a laundry hamper of clean towels into his bath and pull most of the letter keys off the laptop computer. The list is ongoing, and yet, we adore him.

This summer we enjoyed an epic camping trip with friends at a place called Camp Ferrier. We took a heavily loaded boat through the open ocean to an island inhabited by wolves cougars and bears. We slept in a rustic cabin and our children frolicked to their hearts content in the great outdoors. It was marvelous! In January, we are headed to Hawaii for two weeks. I literally want to start packing right now. We haven't left the country since we have become a family of five, so it should be interesting. The girls are excited about catching lizards, Nathaniel has his heart set on going spear fishing and I am hoping to try paddle boarding.  Wishing you all a merry Christmas and a new year filled with hope and adventure.

Love the Lord Family,         

Nathaniel, Jocelyn, Amelia, Claire & Levi

Oh Christmas Tree!

This year we went Christmas tree hunting with our friends and it was SO much fun!

The children happily frolicked amongst the trees, playing hide and go seek with one another while Jennifer and I searched for the perfect tree.

This is my friend Jennifer. She is vivacious, fun, creative and musical.  She is a momma to four children and somehow still finds time to bake, garden, scrapbook, work and teach me how to preserve. She is kind of amazing.

Usually it takes me ages to decide on a tree,

but this year I could have chosen several trees within the first ten minutes.

Her hubby used a traditional handsaw to dispatch our tree while Nathaniel used his chainsaw.

I love my lumber jacks.

Levi was slightly obsessed with the chainsaw after watching his dad cut a tree down with it. He  insisted on carrying it back to our vehicle.. with a little help of course.

Afterwards, to our surprise, Jennifer pulled out some freshly baked, still warm, gingersnaps and a vintage thermos full of hot chocolate. Oh my goodness, we are never going Christmas tree hunting without them again :0)

It was such a nice way to warm up our hands and bellies after all that fun!

Currently: December

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Reading

Portraits of the Aboriginal Life in the Canadian West by Edward S. Curtis

Wearing

some old guess jeans, a long sleeved top from H&M, and a  necklace from a friend

Enjoying

my eyelash extensions

Realizing

how easily I get distracted

Feeling

inspired by this Instagram homeschooling momma of five kiddos @ Jodi Mockabee.

Eating

boatloads of olive oil popcorn

Blog Loving

a local lifestyle and birth photographer Ashley Marston 

&  Mockabee Seven by the above mentioned instagram momma

Longing

for more "down" time after the business of this month

Listening

to "jazzy" Christmas music on Spotify

Thinking
of ways to spend more time with my children

Trying
to get my nutrition back on track after eating WAY too many treats this month

Hoping
for some dark chocolate caramels for Christmas

Making
Christmas ornaments with Amelia with glitter, chipboard stars, and photos

Planning
for a successful, peaceful 2017

Advent Calender

This Christmas season I have made a concerted effort to spend more time talking about the birth of Christ with my children. In November, I carefully selected books from the library that gave us opportunities to discuss the various traditions and practices held during the Christmas season. I wanted them to understand why people hold different beliefs and where those beliefs stem from.

In addition to the play Mobil calendars that my neighbour so kindly gave us, I decided to make an advent calendar that I could fill with Bible verses and chocolate.  I purchased a bunch of burlap sacks from Micheal's , stamped them and then attached them to a thick piece of twine.  I love how they look hanging in our living room window.



Amelia and I stuffed them with numbered bibles verses from free printable I found at Happy Home Fairy. and foil wrapped chocolates.

Favorite Christmas Carol

This morning I have been listening to the Christmas carol, "Oh Holy Night", by Kari Jobe on repeat. There is something about that song that speaks to every fiber of my being.  When I sing it I feel like my heart is going to explode. Last Christmas  I got to sing it with a choir at the Christmas Eve Service and I nearly died with joy. The lyrics are beautiful!

"O Holy Night"

O holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the wise men from Orient land
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name

- by Adolphe Adam (1847)

Deeper Things: Unexpected Gifts

This week has been filled with unexpected gifts from unexpected places. They began on Monday when I found a lovely bouquet of flowers tucked behind my windshield wipers at the grocery store. A girlfriend I had seen at the gym earlier that morning must have seen me in the grocery store afterwards and had somehow managed to buy me flowers and find my car in the parking lot before I had finished paying for my stuff.  It was SUCH a thoughtful and meaningful gesture.
Just thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes, especially when I think about what this incredible woman has been through the past two years.  Fresh flowers bring me a ridiculous amount of joy.

The second unexpected gift occurred when my friend's husband offered to watch all six of our children so that his wife and I could capitalize on the 50% off sale at Value Village. Not only was it nice to have a child free outing, especially since my hubby is away on a nine day hunting trip, but is was also nice to spend time with my new friend Melissa, whom I grow more fond of each time I see.

The third unexpected gift was finding an exquisite pantsuit originally priced at 525$ for 20$ at Value Village. When I checked the size my initial thought was - "it's too small".  For some reason I seem to have a difficult time gauging whether something will fit me.  I often assume that I am smaller than I actually am. It's a nice way to think of oneself, until you try to pull an item over your head only to find that it is not going to get past your shoulders or thighs. I thought for sure that this would be case with said pantsuit. Nevertheless,  I felt the Lord whisper "just try it", so I tossed it into my cart and headed to the change room. As I tentatively tried on the jacket in front of a mirror since the change rooms were all full, I  cringed inwardly, convinced that it was not going to fit. But it did! It fit me beautifully. It was only after I tried on the jacket that I noticed the original  tags still attached. I didn't recognize the brand, but the label said that it was made in Canada and 98% wool. SCORE!!!! I have never owned something so expensive and fancy in my life so I was pretty thrilled to find it. The neat thing is, I was able to wear to an interview the following day. My God is such a good God.

The fourth unexpected gift took place this morning when I got home from walking my children to school with two grumpy toddlers in tow. Levi had woken up at 5am and had refused to return to sleep and my five year old had been incredibly defiant and difficult that morning.  I felt grumpy, bedraggled and tired. All I wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry. To my surprise I opened my front door to discover some unfamiliar boots in my entryway and voices upstairs. My initial reaction was panic since I was certain I was not hosting mom's group until the following week and was completely unprepared.  And by unprepared I mean that I had not brushed my hair or teeth, swept the floors, put out chairs, made coffee....ect. Thankfully the two mom's that had arrived before me had already started washing the dishes and making coffee. My panic gave way to joy when I realized that spending the morning in the company of some incredible mommas and enjoying a cup of coffee I didn't make, was exactly what I needed. So, despite being unprepared, mom's group went off without a hitch. Chairs were arranged, heart's were shared, tears were shed, babies were snuggled and everyone left more uplifted and encouraged then when they had arrived.

The fifth unexpected gift arrived just  as I was finishing this blog post. I heard a knock on the door and opened it to find my neighbor handing me a large box. Inside: three HUGE play Mobil advent calendars for my children, each calendar thoughtfully selected for their age and preferences. I was blown away. BLOWN AWAY. More than the cost, which is significant, was the fact that she had taken the time to order them months ago. Not only that, this particular woman has her hands FULL.  I am in awe of her ability to work full time, provide a safe and loving home for  foster children, take on eleven puppies, several horses and do so with apparent ease. She is nothing short of amazing!

That being said, I can't help but feel immense gratitude, not only for my friends, but also for my heavenly father who cares about the intimate and seemingly insignificant details of my life. While I was the recipient of kindness this week I was reminded how He loves to partner with us in encouraging and uplifting those around us. We are, essentially, called to be the hands and feet of Christ. When he places things on our hearts to do for someone, it is because he knows exactly they need. Life is not always easy, sometimes it is heartbreaking, but we can lift one another up and breath hope and life into eachother's weary bones. Go and be the blessing that you are.

Currently: November

Reading

"Home By Choice" by Brenda Hunter and "Reading The Bible AGAIN For the First Time" by Marcus J. Borg.

(Both books frustrate and challenge me for different reasons)

Wearing

My old Lasenza jogging pants and a "Doug and the Slug's" T shirt I somehow acquired in University. ( My throat is sore and I have ZERO desire to leave the house today)

Relishing

the quiet........... (Levi is napping and the girls are at school)

Dreaming

about sleeping through the night consistently and having heaps of energy

Feeling

a little nervous about my interview with Victim Services this week

Listening

to "Since Your Love" by Brandon Hampton,  "Undeniable"  and by TobyMac

Come to the River - Housefires II (Featuring Kirby Kaple)

Longing

to get some fancy eyelashes and a functioning dishwasher

Eating

so many oranges!!!!!

Hoping

to go shopping at value village with a girlfriend this afternoon

(50% off clothing today!!!)

Learning

how to finally French braid my daughter's hair

Enjoying

catching up on three months worth of project life

Thinking

about what to get my hubby for Christmas (he is SOOOOO hard to buy for)

Planning
on putting up Christmas decorations this week. (EEEEEEEEE!!!) Goodbye fall décor.